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MSC strengthens its presence in North America with senior level appointments

July 20, 2021 โ€” The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) announces two new senior appointments in the Americas strengthening its position as a leader within the sustainable seafood movement. Erika Feller joins the MSC as Regional Director of the Americas from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation where she oversaw its ocean and coastal conservation efforts. She has more than two decades of experience working on marine issues, with a focus on fisheries and cross-sector partnerships. In Canada, Kurtis Hayne has been appointed Program Director to lead the Canada strategy. He most recently was the Senior Commercial and Fisheries Manager, Canada West and brings almost a decade of experience working for various organizations in seafood market analysis, fisheries, and ocean conservation.

Feller joined the MSC senior program management team on July 12 and is based in Washington, D.C. In her role as Regional Director she oversees the MSCโ€™s work in the Americas, continuing to expand the MSCโ€™s work with fisheries, the supply chain, and consumers. She leads a team of approximately 30 staff in Canada, the US, and Latin America, working closely with Program Directors: Cristian Vallejos in Latin America, Eric Critchlow in the US, and Kurtis Hayne in Canada.

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of MSC, said: โ€œI am delighted to welcome Erika to the MSC. Erika brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the sustainable seafood movement, as well as multistakeholder and solutions focused coalition building that will accelerate MSCโ€™s work across the region to recognize and encourage sustainable fishing practices that support healthy marine ecosystems. Iโ€™m also pleased to recognize Kurtis Hayne, recently appointed as Canadaโ€™s Program Director. There is a huge opportunity to grow public awareness of sustainable seafood in the Americas and I look forward to working with Erika, Kurtis and the broader team in achieving that.โ€

โ€œSustainable fisheries help to keep oceans healthy and seafood on our plates; both are important to me,โ€ said Feller. โ€œIโ€™m looking forward to being part of the MSC and for the opportunity to help fishermen and communities who are adopting sustainable practices on the water, as well as connect with consumers who care about where their food comes from.โ€

Feller brings a breadth of experience in ocean and coastal conservation. Most recently, she directed programs for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, guiding investment in improved fishery monitoring, coastal resilience, and helping to recover resources in the Gulf of Mexico impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. She began her career as a legislative and policy adviser on natural resource and environmental issues in the US House of Representatives, and later joined the Nature Conservancy where she led a North America-wide initiative to promote sustainable fisheries. She also served at the White House Council on Environmental Quality supporting interagency efforts on large scale ecosystem restoration around the U.S. Feller currently serves as the Chair of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, which advises the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on all living marine resource matters that are the responsibility of the Department of Commerce.

The new appointments come as the sustainable seafood movement builds momentum in the Americas with fisheries continuing to engage in the program, strong supply chain commitments, and increased visibility of the MSC blue fish label on seafood products. The vast majority (82.31%) of commercially landed seafood in the US, and more than half (57.6%) in Canada, is engaged in the MSC program, accounting for 4.25 million metric tons of seafood caught every year*. A further 1.4 million metric tons originate from fisheries engaged with the MSC program in Latin America* (*figures accurate as of July 2021).

Marine Stewardship Council launches strategy for Chinese retailers

July 7, 2021 โ€” The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is seeking to increase its imprint on the Chinese retail scene with the introduction of a strategy document at a recent meeting of retailers in the countryโ€™s south.

The MSC Sustainable Seafood Procurement Strategy 2021 was launched at the recent annual purchasers summit organized by the China Chain Store and Franchise Association (CCFA) in Guizhou with a range of seafood import companies present to court retailers with MSC-certified products.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Bar Harbor Foodsยฎ Named 2020 MSC US Ocean Champion

July 7, 2021 โ€” The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) awarded Bar Harbor Foodsยฎ the MSC US Ocean Champion Award for going above and beyond the MSC standards in 2020, and for their continued dedication to seafood sustainability. Bar Harbor Foodsยฎ has been a leader in this space over the course of their thirteen-year partnership with the MSC โ€“ now displaying the MSC blue fish label on more than 20 qualifying products under the Bar Harbor brand. Brian Cote, National Sales Director, accepted the award on behalf of Bar Harbor in a small ceremony in Whiting, Maine presented by MSCโ€™s Senior Commercial Manager, Nicole Condon.

โ€œItโ€™s an honor for us to be recognized for simply being who we are. Sustainability has been a focal point of our platform for more than a decade, not just something to participate in when it is trendy,โ€ said Cote.

โ€œAs a long-term partner, Bar Harbor has repeatedly shown leadership and innovation in their sourcing and integration of the MSC blue fish label as a staple component of their brand,โ€ said Eric Critchlow, MSCโ€™s program director, USA. โ€œThey have shown that much of their innovation centers around including MSC certified sustainable sources in their product development. It will be exciting to see what Bar Harbor will develop next!โ€

Over the course of their thirteen years working with the MSC, Bar Harbor has been an active supporter of the MSC mission and a market leader with sustainably sourced MSC certified seafood products available in the retail sector. In 2008, the company introduced the first MSC ecolabeled seafood soups to the marketplace and followed up with the first ever MSC certified clam chowder available in 2017. Bar Harbor will be introducing the first-ever MSC certified condiments this summer including cocktail and tartar sauces using MSC certified clam juice.

The MSC US Ocean Champion Award was established in 2017 to reward fisheries and companies engaged in the MSC program who demonstrate continued leadership on sustainability above and beyond the MSC fisheries or Chain of Custody standards. Bar Harbor joins past winners including: Samโ€™s Club; the Annette Island Reserve Salmon Fishery, Metlakatla Indian Community; Bamboo Sushi and the Sustainable Restaurant Group; US Foods; Whole Foods Market; and TransOcean. Awardees are selected based on their demonstrated leadership and the ability to spark positive change within the industry. The custom glass award featuring a wave and the companyโ€™s name is handmade in downtown Seattle, WA.

According to a 2020 global consumer study commissioned by the MSC, 55% of U.S. seafood consumers believe that we must consume seafood only from sustainable sources to protect the ocean. Furthermore, 64% of Americans want retailersโ€™ and brandsโ€™ claims about sustainability and the environment to be clearly labeled by an independent organization, such as the MSC.

The ocean feeds billions of people and provides 80% of the worldโ€™s biodiversity. A report by the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) shows that sustainable fisheries are more productive and resilient to change, and the UN Environment Program reports that sustainable fishing protects ocean biodiversity. The leadership of companies like Bar Harbor make sustainable fisheries and supply chains possible, and makes certified sustainable seafood products easily accessible and identifiable for consumers.

On the Hook once again urges independent external review of MSC as it relaunches

July 1, 2021 โ€” The On the Hook campaign has relaunched, shifting its focus back towards the pursuit of a โ€œfull, external, independent, and forensic reviewโ€ of the Marine Stewardship Councilโ€™s standards and operation.

On the Hook was first founded in 2017 to challenge the Marine Stewardship Councilโ€™s certification of the Parties to the Nauru Agreementโ€™s tuna fishery, the worldโ€™s largest.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Consumers are demanding more sustainable seafood โ€” and itโ€™s working

June 30, 2021 โ€” American shoppers cruising down the seafood aisle โ€” even those hundreds of miles away from a working coastline โ€” are increasingly concerned about the health of the ocean.

The decline of fish populations and ocean health is the sixth highest environmental concern worldwide, but Americans prioritize it even higher โ€” ranking ocean health as their third highest environmental concern, according to 2020 survey conducted by independent research and strategy consultancy, Globescan.

Love for the ocean is translating into a desire to protect it โ€” especially when Americans go to the grocery store. Consumers are ready to go to bat for sustainable seafood and companies that prove their willingness to protect the ocean.

Some 57 percent of 19,000 consumers surveyed in the United States and Canada are willing to change their buying habits to reduce their impact on the environment, according to a survey conducted by IBM and The National Retail Federation in 2020. The same is true of seafood buyers: According to the 2020 Globescan survey, 55 percent of U.S. seafood consumers agreed that in order to protect the ocean, fish and seafood should be consumed only from sustainable sources. Furthermore, the study found 65 percent of Americans believe supermarkets should remove all unsustainable fish and seafood products from their shelves.

When shoppers are standing in grocery stores, how do they know the full story behind the seafood in front of them? Oftentimes, they look for eco-labels, a third-party label or logo which identifies products proven to be environmentally preferable, which have proliferated in recent decades. The Globescan study found that 64 percent of Americans believe retailersโ€™ and brandsโ€™ claims about sustainability and the environment need to be clearly labeled by an independent organization.

Read the full story at Grist

Gulf of Saint Lawrence snow crab fishery withdraws from MSC, launches new FIP

June 16, 2021 โ€” A new comprehensive fishery improvement project (FIP) has been launched by New Brunswick and Quebec seafood processors and fishermen associations, which they hope will lead to reduced entanglements with North Atlantic right whales.

The main objective of the new FIP is to regain Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the fishery, which was suspended for Area 12 and Sub-Areas 12 E and 12 F in 2018 due to incidents resulting in right whale deaths. As part of the launch of the new FIP, the fishery has โ€œdecided to withdrawโ€ from the MSC program to focus its efforts on the improvements needed to regain certification โ€“ in part because the FIP would run past the expiration date of the suspended certification โ€“ according to a release by the recently launched โ€œsnow crab zone 12.โ€

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ASC to tackle โ€œone of biggest threats to aquacultureโ€™s reputationโ€ with new feed standard

June 15, 2021 โ€” After years of development, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) launched a new feed standard on Tuesday, 15 June, seeking to โ€œtackle one of biggest threats to aquacultureโ€™s reputation.โ€

Recognizing that โ€œunsustainable and irresponsible practices across the aquaculture feed-supply chain risk undoing the positive impact of the farming industry,โ€ ASCโ€™s new standards requires feed mills to meet a series of โ€œstrict environmental and social requirements; source ingredients from socially responsible suppliers; and use environmentally responsible raw materials.โ€

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Red Lobster latest seafood vendor to get hit with sustainability-focused lawsuit

June 15, 2021 โ€” A growing number of class-action lawsuits are being filed against seafood retailers and foodservice outlets, claiming their offerings do not meet their own sustainability claims.

Earlier this month, in a complaint filed in the U.S. Superior Court in the District of Columbia, ALDI was accused of false advertising and marketing, with the advocacy group GMO/Toxin Free USA alleging ALDIโ€™s claim that its salmon is sustainably sourced is not credible. Earlier this year, Mowi agreed to settle a similar lawsuit for USD 1.3 million (EUR 1.1 million). The complaint alleged that the sustainability claims on its Ducktrap River of Maine smoked salmon were false.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Walton Family Foundation grants USD 6.7 million to Sustainable Fisheries Partnership

June 9, 2021 โ€” The Walton Family Foundation has pledged USD 6.7 million (EUR 5.5 million) to support the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, renewing its foundational grant to the seafood sustainability-focused nonprofit.

The Walton Family Foundation support of SFP is aimed at advancing sustainability initiatives covering octopus, tuna, shrimp, squid, mahi, whitefish, reduction fisheries, blue swimming crab, and snapper and grouper. SFP is in the midst of its Target 75 campaign, which seeks to move 75 percent of the global production of crucial seafood sectors into fisheries certified as sustainable (Marine Stewardship Council-certified or equivalent) or classified as improving under a credible fishery improvement project.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Bumble Bee Seafood pursuing MSC certification for two longline tuna fisheries

May 24, 2021 โ€” San Diego, California, U.S.A.-based Bumble Bee Seafood and its parent company, FCF Co., announced on 24 May they will be pursuing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for two of their tuna fisheries.

The companies will pursue MSC fishery assessments of two longline fisheries that span multiple nations, including Taiwan, Fiji, Vanuatu, and others. The fishery covers three oceans, three tuna species, and more than 250 longline vessels, predominantly catching albacore tuna. The fisheries represent approximately 50 percent of Bumble Beeโ€™s entire albacore tuna production.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

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